Labour party faction drags National Chairman, Adebutu, 9 others to court

The crisis rocking the Ogun State chapter of the Labour Party has deepened with the factional chairman in the state, Chief Biodun Owolabi, dragging the National Chairman of the party, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam Paiko and 10 others to the Federal High Court, Abeokuta.

Owolabi and two other plaintifs in a writ of summon made available to newsmen in Abeokuta asked the court to restrain the National Chairman of the party and 10 others from interfering in the activities of the party in the state.

Those asked to be restrained by the court, apart from the National Chairman, include the factional state party Chairman, Abayomi Arabambi, Independent National Electoral Commission, Inspector General of Police, Director General of the State Security Service and a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, Oladipupo Adebutu.

Others are the Chairman of the PDP in the state, Hon. Sikirulahi Ogundele, the National Legal Adviser of Labour Party, Oyelekan Akingbade, former Chairman of the party in the state, Bode Simeon, a chieftain of the party, Saburi Aroyewun and the party.

In the writ of summon , the plaintiffs sought for an injunction restraining Arabambi, Adebutu, Akingbade and Ogundele from interfering, manipulating and hijacking the affairs of the Labour Party in the state.

The writ also seeks order to restrain the National Chairman (5th defendant), INEC (2nd defendant), IGP (3rd defendant), D-G DSS (4th), Simeon (9th), Aroyehun (7th) and Labour Party (1st defendant) from either parading themselves or interfering in the activities of the party.

The party in the state has been enmeshed in leadership crisis following the emergence of two factional executives during parallel congresses held last week in Abeokuta.

The faction led by Owolabi which held its congress at the Party Secretariat in Adatan, Abeokuta approached the court, asking it to restrain the other faction and its supporters from interfering or parading themselves as leaders of the party in the state.

The plaintiffs claimed that their executive was duly formed by the authentic delegates of the party across the 20 local governments of the state.

The plaintiff also submitted that the other faction’s chairman, Arabambi allegedly connived with Hon Adebutu to destabilize, disrupt and cause chaos in the party.

The plaintiff asked the court to enforce the following order against the defendants.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining all the defendants from dealing with any person whatsoever apart from the executive committee members led by the plaintiff.

“A declaration that the Ogun State Labour Party Congress held on 22 day of January, 2018 at the Labour Party Secretariat in Abeokuta was validly held in accordance with the Labour Party 2009 constitution.

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“An order of perpetual injunction restraining all the defendants from dealing with any person whosoever, apart from the executive committee members led by the plaintiff as the Labour Party officers/ committee in Ogun State.

“An order of injunction restraining the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th defendants from interfering, manipulating and hijacking the activities of the Labour Party in Ogun State as they are not card carrying members of the Labour Party.

“An order of the honourable court invalidating any other congress(es) held or to be held in Ogun State including the kangaroo congress held at the hotel cum residence of the 8th defendant as illegal, unconstitutional and an attempt to disrupt the Labour Party activities in Ogun State.

“An order of the honourable court restraining the defendant from opening a parallel state Secretariat or office of the first defendant in Ogun State for registration of members or any political activities outside the Labour Party Secretariat at FAJ House, Abeokuta-Ibadan expressway, Opposite NNPC filling station Car wash, Adatan Abeokuta.

“An order of the honourable court restraining the 5th– 11th defendants and their loyalists from parading themselves as Labour Party executive committee members in Ogun State.

“And for such further orders that this honourable court may deem fit to make in the circumstances”.